In crisis, Filipinos turn to God, lotto

In times of crisis, Filipinos tend to turn to God and gambling.

Davao Archbishop Fernando Capalla, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said he noticed that during difficult times, "there are two places people frequent more: lotto (outlets) and the Church."

Many of the predominantly Roman Catholic Filipinos hope for a quick fix to their poverty and bet what little money they have on government-sponsored lotteries, Capalla said.

"Gambling here is a form of survival, unlike in Europe, where it is a pastime. That’s giving false hopes to people. False incentives, like the two-child policy being proposed. We have failed in making people have a consistent conscience that they stick to," he said.

Asked if the Church failed to educate the faithful on the evils of gambling, he said "perhaps in some places, many teachers or advisers may not have been able to communicate proper understanding (that) gambling is addictive and can become a vice that can control you. In some places, we have been successful in promoting self-control."

While Church officials have strongly opposed gambling, Capalla admitted that he and many other priests also refer poor people asking them for financial help to the state-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) office, which runs the lotto games.

One of Capalla’s predecessors, Dagupan-Lingayen Archbishop Oscar Cruz, is a staunch anti-Pagcor crusader. Capalla himself, while supporting Cruz’s anti-gambling campaign, tries to be a little more practical.

"If people ask for help, I send them to Pagcor. That was why during the investigations into gambling activities before, my name appeared there but it was not because I was a beneficiary. The bishops just serve as a conduit to Pagcor," Capalla said.

He said that referring the poor to Pagcor, brought about by need, does not necessarily mean Church leaders are preaching one thing and doing another.

"It’s more like kapit sa patalim (a desperate act)... We’re not saying it is okay to gamble. We’re saying that at this point, the only (one) that can help is the government," Capalla said.

He added that unlike bettors of the illegal numbers game jueteng, those who go to casinos run by Pagcor are the rich out to burn some money. Many of the casino patrons are foreigners, he added.

Capalla also expressed support for Cruz’s decision not to identify the four national officials and six mayors he earlier said were on the payroll of big-time jueteng operators in Luzon and the Visayas.

"I am happy that he did not name names because that’s what he is supposed to do as a spiritual leader. The Church condemns the sin, not the sinners. We don’t expose people to more ridicule, hoping that people will reform," he said.

As a priest, Capalla said Cruz cannot reveal information given to him in confidence by his sources. He echoed Cruz’s statement that the government, with its vast resources, should be able to determine the identities of these erring officials.

"What is important is there is a cry. There is something wrong. If they know that there’s something wrong, they should know who’s doing it. They have intelligence funds. I cannot understand that they don’t know, with all this chain of command in government. But of course, we understand why," Capalla said.